The Finglas site, which once housed Ireland's largest church, was demolished to make way for the development of 36 one bedroom apartments along with a smaller church.
Now, Dublin City Council have approved the planning applications submitted by Fr Richard Hyland.
A new church building and pastoral centre is included, which includes a courtyard garden. The second application is for a four and five-storey apartment building that includes the apartments, and they were also approved.
The building of the new church was approved along with the demolition of the landmark church building back in 2020, but that construction never went ahead. The planning report said: "The construction of the church building and parish centre did not proceed due to changed funding circumstances".
The two new development sites are located beside each other, and are separate to the planned Part 8 housing development where the church building once stood. The planning report outlines that the new church and 36 apartments would be located on lands that were in front of the former church building.
It said: "The site directly to the south which was occupied by the now demolished Church building is the subject of a Part 8 planning application for a development of 110 residential units for ‘Older Persons’ with community, arts and cultural facilities and 15 car parking spaces.
"The analysis of the site suggested that the Church building which is tasked with having a ‘presence’ in the community, should be positioned in a prominent location, where it can directly engage with the public realm. The most obvious position is at the western corner at the intersection of the two roads, and where it also presents a face to the green space. The building can provide an identity for the community and a landmark for passersby."
The Part 8 planning report was approved for construction in 2024. Demolition of the former Church of the Annunciation has left the site empty while the planning process takes place.
The aim of the new church is to honour the memory of the old church, which was demolished as it became unsustainable to maintain. A falling number of parishioners attending, along with the cost of heating and work it would take to repair ongoing issues with the building, made it unattainable to continue.
The planning report states: "Regardless of the justification for the demolition, there is an understandable and strong feeling of grief within the Parish Community at the loss of the building. The desire to contribute to a healing process is a major driver of the design of the church building, which incorporates references to, and motifs from the original building, in addition to reusing some of the salvaged artefacts."